Gay Perry: The New Hard-Boiled Detective

One of the most frequent topics that has been addressed regarding our class' screening of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is the extent to which the film turns the classical film noir/detective story on its head, while simultaneously adhering to some of the key components of that genre.  I agree with these observations, and think that the question of genre in relation to this film deserves further exploration.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang cannot be considered to be, in the strictest sense, an anachronistic return to the film noir flicks of the 1940s and 50s.  It is, as Arielle states in her blog, "a comedy, a film noir, a drama, a mystery, a black comedy, a satire, and almost anything" and therefore cannot be limited by the label of one specific genre (www.ariellefilmstudies.blogspot.com).  In many ways, however, it does retain the central elements that characterized those films.  In order to analyze its noir-ish characteristics, I think it would be interesting to consider this film in comparison with John Huston's film adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.

The Maltese Falcon presents the viewer with the stereotypical film noir male protagonist: a hard boiled, quick witted, smooth talking, cynical detective named Sam Spade.  With his usual finesse, Humphrey Bogart presents a man who is not afraid of threats from dangerous men and refuses to be taken for a ride, even by the beautiful femme fatale character played by Mary Astor.  While he does make the classic mistake of falling for the girl who is up to no good, Spade's emotions never once make him blind to her dishonesty or prevent him from recognizing her true intentions.  At the end of the film, he is able to put aside his love for her, and turn her in to the authorities for the murder of his partner.  In Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, we are presented with Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) - a flamingly homosexual P.I. who uses gay humor and homophobia to his advantage at every turn.  In appearance, he is far from the classic figure in a trench coat and hat that Bogart cuts - but he is no less ruthless and capable.  In fact, he and Bogart both share the ability to be two steps ahead of everyone else most of the time, and neither requires more than a couple seconds to make the necessary leaps at every new piece of information that is presented to him.  Despite the fact that, as Wynn points out in his blog, "The heterosexual virility which has pervaded this character archetype in the past is literally, and figuratively, turned around in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", the viewer is left with no doubt about Gay Perry's incredibly masculine competence.  

                                                                                                                              

It is arguable, in fact, that he is more competent than other film noir male leads who allow themselves to be distracted and negatively impacted by their relationships with women - such as Robert Mitchum in Out of the Past.  Perry is not plagued by any romantic distractions and exploits his homosexuality on more than one occasion to get him out of a tight spot.  These scenes (such as when he forces Harry Lockhart to kiss him to avoid being spotted by the cops, and when he conceals a gun in his underwear) add humor to the film and also increase the viewer's opinion of his capability to think creatively under pressure.  

In The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade's abilities are highlighted by the early death of his partner, Archer, who is referred to as the less competent and intelligent of the two.  Spade's success is made even more notable by virtue of this comparison: both he and his partner were dealing with the same dangerous criminals, and yet there is never a moment where the viewer is truly concerned that Spade has gotten himself in over his head.  Similarly, Robert Downey Jr's character in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang makes Perry's superiority obvious at every turn - and unlike Archer, he remains on screen throughout the film, acting as a constant foil to Perry in his eager (and unsuccessful) attempts to crack the case.

It is also interesting to note the ways in which Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang adheres to the standards described by John Cawelti in his article, "The Formula of the Classical Detective Story."  Cawelti states that the example for detective stories was set by Poe's famous short stories "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter."  According to Cawelti, one of the two major types of crime on which detective literature is based is "murder, frequently with sexual or grotesque overtones."  Ironically, this may be more true for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang than any of the other films we have viewed from the actual film noir genre.  In its satirical treatment of the detective story, the film plays up these sexual and grotesque overtones to a hilarious and often appalling degree.  The entire movie (and nearly every murder) is rife with sexuality, and the key clue to solving the case involves the presence--and absence--of lingerie on a woman's body.  Additionally, Cawelti states that "The classical detective usually has little real personal interest in the crime he is investigating."  This is certainly the case in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Perry remains calmly detached from the horrific situation unfolding around him, and does not show any emotional response to the countless murders that take place in a disconcertingly short amount of time.  Cawelti also notes the presence of the less competent assistant in these stories, and points out that Poe's short stories are told from the point of view of "his devoted but far less brilliant friend."  It is clear that this is the role that Harry Lockhart plays in serving as Perry's sidekick throughout the film.

In this way, it seems that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang has stayed very close to the traditions of the detective story genre - and actually managed to give the story a refreshing, entertaining, and much needed face lift.